A very fine debut novel.The plot is tight and this is a first rate thriller. ( )

This satisfactory debut novel from Jason Pinter features nearly nonstop action, mostly believable and sympathetic characters, a realistic plot conflict, and a likeable first-person narrator. Armed with a formidable list of endorsers, including James Patterson, Lee Child, and Joseph Finder, the book is well written enough to make this young author successful once he irons out some of the rough areas.

Henry Parker is a fresh-faced 24-year-old reporter for the New York Gazette. Though his personal life isn’t everything he once hoped it might be, he’s thrilled with the opportunity to live out his journalistic ambitions at one of the nation’s most respected journalistic icons. Little does he know his first big assignment could spell not only the end of his career but the end of his life.

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of a crooked police officer while researching a story, Parker finds himself framed for the cop’s murder. Now the target of a nationwide manhunt, he struggles to escape New York while trying to track down leads pointing to the real murderer. Parker spends most of the book trying to stay one step ahead of both the cops and the real criminals as Pinter builds the suspense and mystery right to the climactic final scene.

A fast-paced, entertaining read, The Mark nevertheless suffers from some avoidable rookie bloopers. A few loose connections in the story aren’t quite sewn up, and unfortunate grammatical errors, improper word usage (e.g., confidence instead of conscience), and awkward phrasing serve as obstacles to the reader’s enjoyment as well. On the positive side, the action is intense, and the newspaper backdrop allows for some intelligence behind the intrigue and mystery. Pinter adds some texture by employing a mixed narrative, switching back and forth between first-person and third-person storytelling.

The story is unfortunately marred by foul language and crass humor, and the underlying worldview is one that takes sexuality very lightly, so caution is required. Sophomoric humor and some lame analogies (“my statement sunk in like a hypodermic needle”) betray the author’s inexperience as well. Still, this is a solid first effort from an author who will undoubtedly be entertaining mystery fans for a long time. ( )

I would love to give this novel 4.5 stars, but am rounding up due to one reason: it surprised me. I read a lot of suspense-type books, and this didn't have the typical suspenseful turns, but actually managed to surprise me and catch me off guard in places. For that, I round up to 5 stars instead of down to 4 - I've read so many books that it was very rewarding to find an author that takes an old genre and take us on a dance of twists and turns with plenty of surprises along the way. I'm looking forward to the second novel, where hopefully we'll find out more about the past of the main character (Henry). If you're looking for a suspenseful thriller that catches you off-guard, I'd recommend this one... ( )

Kinda cute. ( )

For once the endorsing quotes are actually correct - it is gripping, a good debut, changes the thriller convetion in places and moves along at a breakneck pace. Whilst not five stars it is a pleasant enough read that keeps you going and guessing. I like to read books like this in one sitting, to fully engage with the novel but I couldn't this time so I made use of the short snappy chapters allowing many opportunities to break-away from your reading.

The novel is told in first person narration, through Henry Parker. First person is sometimes tricky but Pinter has done a good job here. It also helps because a lot is also told by an FBI Agent and an Assassin, therefore with Henry having the majority of the narrative it made first person a good choice. The switch between characters was easy to follow. It was also good when Henry was in dialogue with Amanda as it felt more personal, allowing the reader an insight into Henry's motives and emotions. All of the characters are interesting, but would Amanda be as trusting as Pinter wrote her to be? I don't know, but maybe that's a special something that Henry saw in her that I didn't.

The novel is well-written and I felt it moved along at a cracking pace, however not knowing America very well I was uncertain of the logistics. One minute people were hiring planes, whilst others were jumping on trains and tubes. One second we were in one place and a few hours somewhere else - I don't know how much of it was feasible but it all still worked. Can you make yourself invisible to others by just being different, by drawing attention to yourself do you automatically go unnoticed? This, if anything, was the only thing I wasn't convinced by.

There is an extract to Pinter's second novel, 'The Guilty' out later in the year. It again stars Henry and Amanda with a nice reminder of how they met and how important timing is in whatever we do. I'm sure that some of the quirky writing that didn't quite fit in this novel will have been tidied up in the next. Overall a good read. I think if you liked 'Relentless' by Simon Kernick, you'll like this one. ( )